Retrofit insulation in Compton CA - an older house that holds its temperature
Upstairs too hot and the power bill climbing? We seal the gaps first, then add insulation where your older house needs it most.
Where should new insulation go in an older house?
Retrofit insulation in Compton means adding insulation to the house you already live in. It usually starts with the attic and sometimes goes into the outside walls, so your rooms hold their temperature and stay a little quieter.
Most people call because the upstairs runs hot, the room over the garage never feels right or the power bill keeps going up. The price moves with how big the attic is, how many inches are already up there, whether old material has to come out first through insulation removal and whether the walls are part of the job. The schedule turns on the same things, plus how easy the attic is to get into and whether a permit is needed, and the estimate gives you the number for your house once I've seen the space.
How we do retrofit insulation, in the right order
In an older home, I look at the attic and the walls together and tell you where new insulation will help most, so you can decide what to do now and what can wait. Anything unsafe or broken gets sorted before insulation goes in, and old material that's soaked or full of droppings comes out, because new insulation laid over it just keeps the problem. Then our crew does the air sealing, closing the gaps around can lights, pipes and the attic hatch, since insulation can't do its job with a draft running through it. We keep the eave vents clear so the attic can still breathe, and we put in blown-in insulation, loose fill sent through a hose, evenly enough that the edges get as much as the middle, because a lot of attics end up deep in the center and thin at the edges, which is backward.
Most of this overlaps with our attic insulation work, and that's where most retrofits start. The bigger choice is whether to use spray foam insulation, which costs more but seals air while it insulates. For most houses, sealing the gaps and topping up the loose fill is the better buy, but if your ductwork runs through the attic, foam at the roofline starts to make sense because it brings those ducts inside the insulated space.
Attic sealing and a loose-fill top-up
This suits most older houses that already have a few inches up there, since sealing the gaps and adding loose fill on top deals with most of the heat for the least money. It's usually the first thing I'd do.
Insulating the outside walls
This suits houses with little or nothing in the walls, or rooms that stay hot or cold after the attic is done. It takes more care than the attic, so plenty of people do the attic now and the walls later, and the questions below explain how walls get filled.
Permits and hot attics for retrofit insulation in Compton
Whether your retrofit needs a permit isn't something I'd guess at, so I check it for your job and tell you at the estimate, and if it does, we handle the paperwork with the city or county office for you. In Compton, the Building & Safety Department takes permit applications in person only, and each applicant needs a current City of Compton Business License. City Hall is open Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed every Friday, so any visit has to fit those days.
Most single-family homes in California have vented attics, and on a hot day a typical one gets hotter than it is outside, with a much bigger gap when the vents are blocked. That's why buried eave vents are one of the first things I look for, and we run into the same older houses and hot attics on jobs in Lynwood and Paramount. We also work the unincorporated areas the county looks after, so call and ask if your city isn't on the site.
What retrofit work looks like
Why call us for retrofit insulation
I write your estimate myself
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate, our trained crew does the install, and I check the work before we call it finished. That way the person who planned your job is the one who signs off on it.
In business since 2013
I learned this trade on an insulation crew and started this business here in Compton, where we're best known for attic sealing and insulation done in the right order. That order matters on a retrofit, because insulation over an unsealed or damaged attic just hides the problem.
We're licensed and fully insured
California's Contractors State License Board has a license class written for insulation work, so it's fair to ask any contractor what they carry before they go into your attic. Ask us at the estimate and you'll get a straight answer.
If you're weighing the attic against the walls, send us a few details or call (562) 232-8636, and I'll come out and look at both.
(562) 232-8636Get an estimate for your attic and walls
We reply within one business day to set a time, and the estimate is free, done at your house and comes with no obligation. I look at the attic and walls, go over what I found with you, and you decide from there.
Retrofit insulation questions from Compton homeowners
How much does blown-in insulation cost around Los Angeles and Compton?
Blown-in insulation in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $1,600 to $3,600 per job. That's the usual range around here, not our price, and adding foam or wall work changes it. I'll give you the figure for your own house at the estimate.
What is the best way to insulate walls in an existing house?
Most existing walls are done by drill and fill, where insulation is blown through small holes near the top of each wall cavity. Drilling from outside goes through the drainage plane, the layer behind the siding that sheds water, so it needs patching or replacing, while drilling from inside leaves it alone. Inside holes can be patched or covered with chair rail molding, and if you're re-siding soon, that's the ideal time to do the walls from outside.
What should I do if my attic has pea-size gray vermiculite?
Leave it alone until it's tested, because vermiculite is a lightweight gray mineral once used as insulation that may contain asbestos. A sample goes to an approved lab first, so we know it holds no asbestos before anyone disturbs it. If you've seen it up there, mention it when you call and I'll plan the job around the test.
Can you add insulation in an older house with knob and tube wiring?
Not around that wiring, because the National Electrical Code bars insulation applied to or around knob and tube wiring, the old style run on porcelain knobs. That's why we find out what wiring your house has before we plan which walls to fill. It gets sorted before any insulation goes in.
Does a house built before 1980 in Compton need wall insulation?
It often does, because homes built before 1980 frequently have little or nothing in the walls. Lead safety rules may also apply in those homes, depending on how much of the existing walls the work disturbs. I check both at the estimate so you know what the walls would involve before you decide.
How long does retrofit insulation take, and do we have to leave the house?
With loose fill, most families stay home while we work, and how long it takes turns on how much cleanup and sealing the attic needs and whether walls are included. Spray foam is different, because it has a re-entry time, the wait before you, the kids and pets come back inside. I'll tell you the schedule and any wait at the estimate.
Ask us about retrofit insulation for your house
Call (562) 232-8636 with your home's age and anything odd you've seen in the attic, so I know what to check first.
